Current Duke Student (Deferred->Accepted) Taking Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
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<p>With ED decisions hours away, I’d like to make myself available to answer any questions that prospective students or parents might have. When decisions are released tomorrow, many of you will be thrilled to find out that you have been accepted to one of the best institutions in the country. Others will be disappointed to learn that Duke was not seen as a match for you in the eyes of admissions. And the rest will be faced with, in my opinion, the hardest-to-swallow decision of all, the deferral. I will be available during the hours leading up to the decisions, as well as throughout this week.</p>

<p>I am currently a freshman at Duke studying ECE (Electrical/Computer Engineering) and CS (Computer Science). After being deferred and then accepted last year, I think I can bring a unique perspective that hopefully will benefit those who were deferred, accepted, denied or even those who are applying RD.</p>

<p>I’ll go ahead and answer one or two questions that I know I’m going to get:</p>

<p>Is it true that you have a worse shot at getting in as deferred from ED vs. RD?
-Statistically, yes, but it’s not that simple. Last year, around 5% of those deferred were offered admission. The thing to keep in mind is that Duke sees something in you, and by deferring you they want to see how you compare to the RD pool before making a decision. I think the most important thing you can do is reach out to your admission officer. Your regional admission officer has read your application; make sure he/she remembers you by emailing them and updating them on your senior year. Let them know of any activities you started or are continuing. Your admission officer made the case for your admittance in the first round, and will be making it again so make sure you give them a stronger case to make in the next round. The last thing to remember is that the admission committee is aware that Duke is your first choice, and although the decision is no longer binding, it is certainly something they keep in mind when reading applications.</p>

<p>What can I do to stand out in the deferred pool?
-I somewhat answered this in the above question, but in my opinion routine contact with your admission officer is key. By updating he/she on what you’ve been doing your senior year, your application remains a dynamic, changing document. Deferral means Duke sees something in you; giving them a little bit more the next time they read your application certainly gives you an edge over the other deferred applicants.</p>

<p>These questions are geared towards those who were deferred, but I’m sure those admitted or denied have questions also, so fire away.</p>

<p><strong>The purpose of this post is not to steal the thunder from splashdown94. He has been doing a great job answering questions, I just thought I could bring a unique perspective.</strong></p>

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<p>How much fun would you say you are having. How’s the college experience? How great are the professors? Are they helpful outside of class should you make the effort? How are the people (attractiveness, niceness)? How quickly did you make some good friends?</p>

<p>All stock questions, but I’m interested nonetheless.</p>

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<p>jman1204,</p>

<p>I’m having a ton of fun and loving the college experience. Pratt (the engineering school) certainly is a lot of work, but I love going out on the weekends, and there is always something to do. The majority of the professors are helpful, although those who teach the general 300 person lectures are a little harder to reach outside of class. My chemistry teacher this year is the faculty-in-residence in the dorm right across from me, and his door is always open.</p>

<p>Most of the people are really nice, maybe it’s just a southern thing, but most people smile and ask you how your day is going. Duke has its fair share of nice looking girls, although they are hard to come by in the engineering school.</p>

<p>I have made a ton of friends so far, and it’s hard not to. You meet people in class, on the quad, on the bus, etc. My best friends are in my dorm though, we have all become really close.</p>

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<p>Goose, why do you think you were deferred? Do you think you had an apparent weakness in your application compared to the ED applicants?</p>

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<p>Thanks goose,</p>

<p>Looking forward to hearing back tomorrow. That response is pretty impactful coming from a duke student, so thank you for that. Definitely my #1 choice and hoping to receive great news tomorrow.</p>

<p>Also, what’s the vibe like on campus now concerning the basketball team.</p>

<p>Were you at the Ohio st. game?</p>

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<p>RahulKShah,</p>

<p>Without getting into numbers, I think my biggest weakness was probably my GPA along with a lack of strong leadership experience in my extracurriculars. I was involved in plenty of clubs and sports, but never really had a serious leadership role which I think made Duke want to see how I stacked up against the RD applicants.</p>

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<p>jman1204,</p>

<p>The enthusiasm towards Duke sports in general right now is incredible. Not only is our basketball team on fire, but our football team just made its first bowl game since 1994. I camped out for the Ohio State game and got pretty awesome seats. It was without a doubt the best sporting event I’ve been to. Some of my friends had front row seats and were featured on the ESPN homepage a few days ago.</p>

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<p>My last question, cause I’m a huge sports fan, and premature all-around Duke sports fan:</p>

<p>I went to an LSU football game this year, had a tremendous experience, got to see how awesome tailgating is down south, and for a couple weeks was really pondering applying to LSU so that I could be a part of that cool southern culture (I’m from Texas btw). I have stuck with my life long dream of Duke, however, and am wondering how much of that tailgating/football passion there is at duke. With that said, I know there is no shortage in Cameron, and am excited to be a Crazie either way (should I get that acceptance tomorrow!)</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p>jman1204,</p>

<p>Tailgating is interesting at Duke because in 2010 the administration banned all forms of tailgating in response to a teen being found unconscious in a bathroom before the game. Since that incident, tailgating has slowly made its way back. This season, there was certainly a tailgate scene; however, it is nowhere near the level it was in 2010. If Duke continues to strengthen their football program, I think tailgating and the overall enthusiasm for the team will only increase.</p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck tomorrow.</p>

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<p>Thanks again for helping out tonight, goose!</p>

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<p>Thanks for doing this, really excited to find out what will happen tomorrow!</p>

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<p>Do you think Duke looks for anything in particular? I’m applying to the engineering school, thinking of doing EE or MechE. Have you had any EE related classes? If so, how was the experience? Do you know or participate in any engineering related clubs like FSAE? Also, I have a similar problem to yours (lowish GPA), is there anything you would recommend doing to compensate for that weakness in the app?
-Thanks</p>

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<p>blackhippy,</p>

<p>For Pratt applicants, I think Duke wants to see someone who shows a passion towards the field of engineering. Duke knows you are good at science and math, so I’m not sure how much they care about your participation in Science Olympiad or Mu Alpha Theta. I think Duke would much rather hear about your research experience or how you started your own business. Duke wants to know about your unique experiences, and if they relate to engineering that’s even better. </p>

<p>I’m not taking any ECE(Electrical/Computer Engineering) classes until next semester so I can’t really tell you what those are like. You will have some time to decide between ECE and ME because all engineers take the same EGR103 course first semester.</p>

<p>I’m not a part of Duke’s FSAE club (Duke motorsports), but it is a pretty big deal here. They have a team that goes to the garage every Saturday and works on the car, and they compete in Miami(I think) every year against schools around the country.</p>

<p>All I can say about the low GPA is to build up your application in other areas. Obviously your test scores are what they are, but make your essay standout, talk about a unique experience in your life. A unique experience doesn’t mean helping out at a homeless shelter or scoring the winning goal in a soccer game, talk about something that makes you someone Duke would want.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice goose, hopefully things will work out in the spring</p>

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<p>I just got deferred applying to Pratt. I thought that might happen from the start. My grades were pretty high and I also had a high rank, which is why Duke was even on my radar in the first place. My SAT scores were pretty high respectively but pretty average for Duke students. My weakness was that I hardly had any extracurricular or work/volunteering compared to most applicants. I also did not really have anything related to engineering on my resume. (If you want to see my full stats, I posted on the ED results thread). Anyway, what do you think the chances are for an applicant like this the second time around? I’m not too optimistic that I was on the higher end of the deferrals but I have no idea what they based their decision on so I won’t really know. I might as well add that I’m also only 16 (I don’t know what type of effect that would have). I also liked your advice to keep in contact with the regional counselor because I have done a few things in my senior year, which might be little but helps fill in the work/volunteering/EC areas.</p>

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<p>@dcmne13 Know how you feel just got the news too. Bitter thats for sure. Wish i knew their exact reasoning. My SAT scores were pretty on par with the norm, grades were stellar and i have been extremely active both in and out of school.</p>

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<p>dcmne13,</p>

<p>In your other post you say a deferral is like a rejection in your mind, don’t count yourself out yet. Admissions sees something in you, it is your job to improve on your weaknesses. Email your regional counselor and tell him/her the new things you have gotten involved in, but also mention the things that you are still involved in. I honestly can’t say what your chances are, just remember you are still in the running.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your response, I guess I should try to be more positive about the situation. I will definitely email my regional counselor ASAP. I knew it was a stretch asking for chances, but like I said who knows what they’re looking for.</p>

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<p>Hey Goose,</p>

<p>My son actually just got accepted to Pratt, but I am writing because your plan is the same as his - ECE double major with Computer Science. In fact, recently he’s been really enjoying comp sci, and I was wondering if he should’ve applied to Comp Sci in Trinity. Well, all those fears are gone now! </p>

<p>Do you know if you can double major AND do the 4+1 program? </p>

<p>What made you choose those majors? Did you have engineering experience before college? Also, if you have a 5 on BC calc AP, what is the first math you have to take? </p>

<p>When my son visited and stayed with a student ambassador, his host had been deferred ED (Pratt) and then accepted. My son also met a guy who was deferred ED, waitlisted RD, and THEN accepted, so it does happen!</p>

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<p>PS - Splashdown is a girl! :)</p>